The famous Greek Philosopher Aristotle said, "Man is by nature a social animal." What he meant was that man, by instinct seeks company of others and establishes relationships, much like most animals of the wild, for companionship and for physical and emotional support. Unlike the animals, however, man's relationships give meaning to his existence and inspire him to do well in education, in workplace or in a profession that he pursues.
Relationships are of different kinds. Some are familial and intimate, formed by blood and by marriage; some are social like the ones we have with friends and some are made in school where we form close bonds with classmates and teachers.
Relationships can also be fostered in workplace, which may quickly change from professional' to social. There are relationships also between human beings and animals between children and their toys that they can not part with.
All these relationships keep us close to each other and provide us all kinds of support, love and affection. A person who has no family feels the pain of loneliness and isolation. There is no one to laugh or cry with him/her. When we share our joys with someone, it simply redoubles, and when we suffer a loss and someone shares our sorrow, it lessons. Relationships are thus needed for our emotional health.
To build relationships, we need to have trust and respect for each other, and love where this is needed. We cannot be selfish and possessive if we want to establish an effective relationship. But quite often we see people quarrelling and fighting with each other which only brings misery and loss to all.
Read the following passage and make a flow chart showing Amerigo's sufferings after his parents' separation. (No. 1 has been done for you.)
My name is Amerigo. I am 13 years old and I live on the street, alone. My mother, who is separated from my father, doesn't want me. She told me to go away Now she is married to another man. My father lives very far away. I want to go to him but he won't take me either. I begged him to send me some money so that I could buy a bus ticket. I am still waiting. He hasn't answered. The streets are now my home. Sometimes I find work. I used to collect trash and sell it to a vendor. I stopped doing that after I had a serious infection and a doctor told me to stay away from the trash dump. Once I worked for an ice-cream shop owner and sold ice-cream on the beach. But I got no money in return. The owner of the shop gave me something to eat, and let me sleep in his hut at night. The work was difficult and painful. The ice-cream box is quite heavy when it is full. I had to walk for hours, offering my ice-cream to whoever wanted to buy. There were days when I could not even sell one ice-cream.